Costa Rica Lodging: Villa Cieba, Playa Manuel Antonio

Villa Cieba is nestled in the Costa Rican jungle just above Playa Miguel Antonio. With a full kitchen, living area and infinity pool, this vacation home is perfect for large groups or families looking for a more private jungle/beach experience on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Experiencing Villa Cieba is a bit surreal. The building itself is pristine and modern with functional furniture and lots of comfortable spaces to relax.  The family room stocks board games for group activities and with a mini wet bar, hosts are able to entertain in several common spaces, not just the kitchen, patio or poolside.

Each suite offers a queen or king size bed and private bathrooms. The master suite, located on the top floor offers the luxury of a Japanese style bathing tub and full panoramic views. One of the most impressive parts of the house is the jungle surrounding it. Families of howler monkeys jump from tree limb to tree limb gathering food in the mornings and evenings.  Several species of birds flutter from flower to flower.  At night, the sound of waves crashing on the beach below the jungle can be heard above the primal calls and rustling of noctornal wildlife residents.

There is plenty to do in Playa Manuel Antonio and Villa Cieba's incredible owner and host, Laura is available to book any beach or jungle adventure during Your stay. The night life is colorful, festive and represents the best of the Pura Vida lifestyle.

For those who want to stay in, the full service kitchen complete with patio grill is perfect for private dinners. There are markets in town offering local fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh seafood and meats.  Costa Rica allows for duty free purchases on the way out of the airport. Purchasing alcohol there is always less expensive than what local liquor stores charge, so remember to stock up after You make Your way through customs.

The infinity pool is magic and the perfect oasis to escape the sometimes stifling jungle heat. The entrance to the pool located across the entrance foyer from the front door. There, you wade in along the side of the building before reaching the main area. The views are incredible from this vantage point. Here, you can really see Costa Rica as the Country where the jungle meets the beach.

The perfect combination of jungle mustique, modern and luxurious accommodations and beach bum mentality, Villa Ciebla is not to be missed! Pura Vida, indeed!

Villa Ciebla offers specials on rental rates and posts when airfare is low for flights to Costa Rica on the official Facebook Page, so follow them for help planning Your trip! Official Facebook Page

For more information on availability and booking visit the Villa Ceiba Website or send an email to villaciebama@gmail.com.

Beach Finds Xpu-Ha Mexico

Xpu-Ha Beach is a local beach and resort area 21 miles south of Playa Del Carmen Mexico. The area is remote away from the City noise and busy tourists spots as well close to Ancient Mayan coastal City of Tulum. Cenote Manati, one of the largest natural water cenotes is located at the north end of the Bay making the sleepy coastal town a favorite of serious divers. 

Beaches in the Mexican Rivera allow for foot traffic, so getting out of the resort to walk down the beach will fill an afternoon with local wonders, different shopping areas and access to more activities. You can rent jets skis, water sporting equipment, take a sunset sailboat ride or go parasailing. Divers can expect to get a discount on diving excursions booked through local dive shops on

the beach rather than book through the resort. Local merchants set up shopping areas and stroll up and down the beach offering hats, cigars and souvenirs to tourists lounging  at each resort. These merchants work on a system of negotiation with no set prices. Ask several vendors their price before buying an item. Having both local currency and US currency helps. 

Xpu-Ha is somewhat undeveloped, so an afternoon walk for me turned into a geological adventure. I stumbled upon a beach of fossilized coral. The Yucatan Peninsula, the exposed portion of the larger Yucatan Platforms is mostly limestone and believed to have been formed 65 million years ago when an asteroid hit somewhere in the Caribbean basement. The shock-waves of this impact are believed to have created the famous 'Ring of Cenotes'.

Recently archaeologists connected two of the largest cave systems on the Peninsula, the Sac Actun and Dos Ojos networks. In these caves, they discovered Mayan relics, an elaborate shrine to the God of War and Commerce and the remains of a giant sloths. In the treasure trove of artifacts, divers found ceramics, human remains, wall hangings and animal remains enabling archaeologists to date pieces of the cave all the way back to the Pliestocene epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago) 

Fossilized coral is easy to find in patches on remote, untouched parts of the beach. There are so many types of coral frozen in time in the rocks, blue coral, brain coral and pillar coral. Fan coral and brain coral are scattered all over the beach. Some of these specimens are not dead, they can be thrown back in to reattach to the reef. Most Countries have rules about taking rocks, shells and coral from beaches. Most tourist take home a small amount of shells and coral from Mexico with no issue. Check with customs in the arriving Country to be sure they allow these items back in to the Country. You may need to claim them on the customs form. 

If you can't take a favorite beach find home, be sure to get a picture of the item. These photos can be made into home decor or end up in a scrap book later keeping the memory of finding the treasure without the hassle of taking it home. Beaches Playa Del Carmen south have lots of little shells to find, so take a couple of zip lock backs for transport. Also, rinse anything you take home with you thoroughly and be sure there are no live creatures living in the shells you find. 

Look for My reviews of Tulum and Playa Del Carmen All Inclusive Resorts posting soon! 

Happy Treasure Hunting, Beach Bums!

Visit Chichen Itza, Ollamaliztli, The Ballgame

Central to Society in Northern Maya Lowlands, Chichen Itza is the largest Maya Metropolitan City and considered to have had the most diverse culture. Serving as a political, economical and cultural center, ruling parties established the water port city, Isla Cerritos for importing obsidian from Central Mexico and Gold from Central America. In it's prime, the City held jurisdiction over Maya civilization from Central Yucatan to the North coast, extending down the east and west coasts of the Peninsula and is considered the reason for the decline of Coba as a central trading city. 

El Castillo, Main Step Pyramid

Built in the Terminal Classic Period, Chichen Itza enjoyed prosperity in North Maya from the late Classic (c AD 600 - 900) through the Terminal Classic (c. AD 800 - 900) and into the early portion of the Postclassic period (c. AD 900 - 1200). In addition to El Castillo, the main step pyramid, Chichen Itza houses Cenote Segrado, a place of pilgrimage and site of sacrifices during drought, several temples, a wall of skull carvings representing those sacrificed and a steam bath. 

Chichen Itza houses the largest Ball Court found to date. It is believed the Ballgame, or ollamaliztli, was associated with human sacrifice rituals. The game is seen as a battle between life and death, courts considered portals to the underworld. Further archaeological discoveries show the ballgame may have had multiple purposes. For instance, Women may have competed with each other in fertility rituals. Children were taught the game at a young age and competed locally and regionally for rank. Ball courts are present in most Mayan Cities, however, they are much smaller and appear to have been used for local rituals, training and player selection. Later, teams would travel to play in Chichen Itza during regional competition. The ballgame was played by most mesoamerican societies including the later Aztec Civilization. 

Mayan Ballgame Hoop

At rare times, game was played by royalty. Winning meant rain for the season and bountiful crops. Losing meant the people would experience terrible wrath from the Snake Gods.  There are many examples where Ruling members used the ballgame to defuse and resolve conflict wagering everything from gold to maize corn, even territory on the outcomes. The Maya believed whether playing for Life or for Sacrifice, doing so made them an active participant in the cosmic order of the Universe. Everything about Maya belief is an extension of the cultural interpretation of individual relationships with the afterlife. Everything about collective Mayan expression revolves around ritual and ceremony as a way to control part of the outcome. 

Maya Ballplayer

The game was played by two opposing teams of two to four people. Each team is confined to half of the court with the object being to volley a 9 lb solid rubber ball back and forth using only their hips until one team fails to return it. The mason courts were long open spaces with steeply inclined sides and a stone circle hoop installed in the top center of each side. Players would use their hips to propel the ball through the stone circle for point advantage, though no one is sure of the actual point systems or official rules observed by the ancient Maya. It is noted the game itself was extremely difficult and caused players severe bruising among other common injury. It is hard to imagine the game being played by so few players on such a large field as Chichen Itza. Running up steep inclines, volleying a dense heavy ball without the use of their hands is an impressive feat. It is believed the winners of ritual ballgames were the ones to be sacrificed. Modern society can only marvel at the idea of competing for death where the prize is the players demise. Mayan society considered sacrificing their lives to the God the ultimate honor, martyring themselves for the benefit of the whole of their communities. 

Chichen Itza is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site and a must see when traveling to the Yucatan Peninsula. Tours can be arranged through any hotel, resort or through designated tour companies in local townships. The drive from the Rivera Maya is approximately three hours one way. Lunch is provided at the archaeological site, but plan for a long day. Staying onsite at Hacienda Chichen Resort and Maya Spa allows for more immersive Chichen Itza experience as guests enjoy planetarium shows,  night astrology activities and private tours of the area. 

Hacienda Chichen Resort and Maya Spa

Look for more posts on visiting Chichen Itza and other Mayan sites from The Grand Adventure of the Blond Brunette in the near future. Email BlondeBrunetteAdventure@gmail.com for tips and advise on planning a trip to The Yucatan Peninsula.

6 Reasons I Travel and Why You Should, Too

"Not all who Wander are lost." JRR Tolkien 

Travel is imperative to expanding one's perspective.  Leaving comfort zones to sleep in unfamiliar places,  eat foods foreign to our tastes and know how others live does more than make us resilient and adaptable. It makes us whole.  These are the moments we choose to replay in our minds after the vacation is over.  Adventures bring us closer together or as traveling individuals,  allow our souls to breathe.  There are so many profound reasons to travel. Here are My top 6. 

1. To meet new people

"Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many People. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys.  Try everything.  Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life."   -Lawrence K. Fish 

Everyone You meet has a story. Hearing other people's stories brings us closer as a human race.  People really do want the same things,  good health, comfort and a space to grow as an individual.  Everyone goes through similar life cycles, some have children,  some adults have grown children and now care for elderly parents, others are great grandparents.  Getting out of familiar places and sharing stories allows each of us to feel closer to those who live in far away places and know our similarities.  

2. To be more resilient 

"Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends,  your daily routines,  your refrigerator full of food,  your closet full of clothes - with all this taken away,  you are forced into direct experience.  Such direct experience inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience.  That's not always comfortable,  but it is invigorating."  -Michael Crichton

Travel can be uncomfortable,  yes. Any trip out of Your comfort zone is scary.  Some refuse to travel for fear of the unknown, but discomfort can be a beautiful thing.  Through travel, we learn to expect the unexpected in delightful ways.  Getting sidetracked and stuck may seem dreadful in the day to day grindstone,  but when traveling,  time feels different.  Experiencing the unexpected teaches us faith that we are always where we need to be and so we learn to adapt.  It's vacation,  after all! Where do You need to be in such a hurry? 

3. To Learn Tolerance and Achieve Understanding

"It's important that we share our experiences with other people.  Your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else.  When you tell your story,  you give yourself and give other people permission to acknowledge their own story."  -Iyanla Vanzant 

Every single human being in the World has basic needs,  shelter,  water,  food.  Traveling allows us to learn how others mitigate these needs.  In the jungle,  people often get their food from the fruit bearing trees and do not understand grocery stores.  On the beach,  the food comes from the sea and is present in every meal.  Immersing Yourself in other cultures expands your perspective in immersive and multidimensional ways.  

4. Adventure

"Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures."  -Lovelle Drachman

Hike, Swim in the Ocean, Climb a Mountain, Sail a Ship! Who doesn't love adventure? Through exploration We conquer our fears, set goals and achieve them, raise our heart rates in a good way and let genuine smiles radiate from the inside out. The feeling anything can be achieved comes back wth us to daily life after the trip.  Those who adventure,  take more risks and reap the benefits in their day to day lives.  Those who don't feel stagnated and marginalized. 

5. To Feel More Human

"The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience every day things as if for the first time."  -Bill Bryson 

Traveling puts us in situations where We understand the Human Experience.  We appreciate the journey more and are able to have gratitude for what's really important in life.  Experiencing many cultures allows You to be more comfortable with Yourself. The World feels less chaotic knowing everyone in it has the same passions,  desires and billions of ways to express them.  Bringing home pieces of culture keeps a sense of wonder about a place long after You are gone.   

6. To Get in Touch with the Divine 

"I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the World." -Mary Anne Radmacher

Travel creates a spiritual restlessness.  It's the feeling inciting us to rise early to see the sunrise in a far away place and go to bed late to watch the same night sky as the locals.  These private moments of gratitude have bring us closer to our divine spiritual divine.   

"Your heart is the size of an Ocean. Go find Yourself in its hidden depths." Rumi

It's easier than you think to plan a trip.  Start a Bucket list and make a plan.  I'll be posting an entire series on ways to plan tangible trips You can take soon.  Stay tuned! 

The Grand Adventures of the Blonde Brunette is a collection of my travels published with the intent to help others enjoy traveling comfortably, creating lifelong memories out of enriching cultural experiences.  The World is My Playground.